Thor was rehomed...

[lv4dogs]

You have probably made up your mind with the pup but have you considered adopting an older dog, a rescue who is proven to be good with children and who is housetrained and more laid back? I just ask because a puppy of any breed is a handful and a young lab/ACD mix is going to be FULL of energy and hyperactivity, if not exercised, trained, and given LOTS of time and effort you could have behavioral problems on your hands again. Just something to think about.

I was thinking tha same thing.
Even though their size is fairly small their attitude can be very big. ACD's are not for everyone and mixed with a lab well thats a LOT of energy for a dog.

The hair lenght and color on the pupies reminds me of an Aussie or Border Collie, its longer than a lab or ACD would have so there is probably something else mixed in their too.

[finn's mom]

I was thinking tha same thing.
Even though their size is fairly small their attitude can be very big. ACD's are not for everyone and mixed with a lab well thats a LOT of energy for a dog.

The hair lenght and color on the pupies reminds me of an Aussie or Border Collie, its longer than a lab or ACD would have so there is probably something else mixed in their too.

Where did you see photos of the puppies? I must have totally missed something.

And, an Australian Cattle Dog and Lab mix, wow. They're smart, but, that doesn't mean they're going to be easier to train. They have so much energy, that's a heckuva mix to adopt. And, how is it that they know for sure how big the puppy is going to be? Labs can get pretty big. I hadn't really read the part about what kind of dog, until now...good luck if you really decide to get that particular puppy.

[The Cat Factory]

Where did you see photos of the puppies? I must have totally missed something.

I posted a thread about them a few days ago

http://www.petoftheday.com/talk/showthread.php?t=93742

[finn's mom]

I posted a thread about them a few days ago

http://www.petoftheday.com/talk/showthread.php?t=93742

Ah, ok, I figured that I must have missed it.

[Vette]

Awww.
sorry about your Rott having to go.


but are you sure that an ACD mix is a good idea?
ACDS were bred to herd... when they see something moving fast. the job that they were bred to do,, kicks in.. and the dog will try to herd it,, by chaseing it and nipping at it. would you like this to be your daughter?

when i was around 10 or something years old,, i was running around with my little cusion.. and the dog woudlnt leave us alone(she was an ADC) she tripped us,, and nipped us. she didnt 'bite us' just nipped us.. but it was hard enough to leave a huge bruses on my leg. but the at the time when she nipped me.. it didnt really hurt,, but the bruse itself hurt quite a bit.

but since your thinking of a mix bred dog... the herding instints may be tamed somewhat..
whatever choise you make. the best of luck to both you and your kid.

[Crazy-Cat-Lover]

The puppies mother is not like most ACD's that I have met. She is calm and friendly towards everybody - not at all aloof like they should be. I was told the mom is crossed with an Australian Shepherd, but she has short hair. I am aware of their energy needs, I have a park close by that will walk her to everyday. There is a baseball diamond that is fully fenced off that you can take your dogs in. I researched the breed before I made the decision to adopt her. Another good thing is that my sister will have her brother, so they can be raised together. I am a graduated veterinary assistant, so I have lots of knowledge about dogs. The herding instinct is not half as bad as the dominance that Rottis have. I would rather Sierra was nipped on the ankles then seriously bit. The mother herded Sierra gently, by nudging Sierras arm with her head.

I am an active person, I love going for walks at the park. I am home 24/7, so the puppy will never get bored.

[Crazy-Cat-Lover]

And, how is it that they know for sure how big the puppy is going to be? Labs can get pretty big. I hadn't really read the part about what kind of dog, until now...good luck if you really decide to get that particular puppy.

I am just making a guesstimate. Obviously the father was NOT a purebred lab. The female I am getting is no more than 2 pounds at 4 weeks. Her paws are smaller than my smallest cats' paws. She in tiny compared to the rest of the pups - she is the runt of the litter.

[dab_20]

Well I am glad you found him a new, happy home. ACD's and labs get big. I had an ACD and he was about 35 pounds when we gave him away and he was only 6 months old. He was going to be about 65. (he had worms so he was thin, but its all treated now)

But anyways, Good Luck with the new puppy. There are many sites you can look up on the internet. Go to www.google.com and type in 'potty training'.

[bckrazy]

that's very sad about Thor. My personal experiences with Rotties is that they are amazing dogs with even a shred of kindness and training given to them, which has obviously not been your situation. I'd relate it mostly to the crappy breeders he came from, sometimes that kind of aggression (which was probably purposely bred in) is hard to train out. My Rottie boy was abused for the first 3 years of his life and thrown into a kennel with broken hips from getting hit by a truck and forced to heal on his own, and when we adopted him he was super obedient within a few weeks of classes and he loved everyone that showed him any kindness, or even those that didn't. All of the families in our nieghborhood trusted him over any other dog to allow their kids to play safely with him.

I personally can't say I agree with your getting a puppy now. It's VERRRY hard to raise a puppy without any kids, muchless with a young baby girl to care for. ACD's are probably the mouthiest of all herding breeds, I've been nipped several times by my friends ACD by just WALKING away from him. He did not hurt me, but I'm sure he'd easily break the skin of any small child. Then again, there are plenty of ACD's who are great with kids... it just depends on how much training, time, and consistency is put into the dog AND the child. You really cannot judge your puppies behavior completely on the parents - with mixed breed puppies, you can't predict temperament. One puppy can inherit very predominate genes from one parent, and being the small size of your puppy girl she's probably more ACD-type. If she does have high drive, you'll be facing tons and tons of training. Gonzo is super low-drive and never even thought about herding people... until my little brother began running around at around 12 months old. He exhibited some SERIOUS herding drive with Alex and that had to be diligently re-trained. Expect to be spending hours seperately caring for your dog and your baby until your child is older or your dog has been properly trained. It's just a TON of work. Good luck

[Crazy-Cat-Lover]

that's very sad about Thor. My personal experiences with Rotties is that they are amazing dogs with even a shred of kindness and training given to them, which has obviously not been your situation. I'd relate it mostly to the crappy breeders he came from, sometimes that kind of aggression (which was probably purposely bred in) is hard to train out.

Thor wasn't from a breeder, he was from a friend. Thors mom jumped a fence, according to her owner, and mated with another dog. The puppies were not allowed in the house, they were kept in the backyard. I just found out that Thors mom, Pumpkin, died of bone marrow cancer. I am happy she is in a safe place. Thors brother and sister found a lovely home on a farm. They were adopted from a local vet, where my fiance brought them.

I personally can't say I agree with your getting a puppy now. It's VERRRY hard to raise a puppy without any kids, muchless with a young baby girl to care for. ACD's are probably the mouthiest of all herding breeds, I've been nipped several times by my friends ACD by just WALKING away from him. He did not hurt me, but I'm sure he'd easily break the skin of any small child. Then again, there are plenty of ACD's who are great with kids... it just depends on how much training, time, and consistency is put into the dog AND the child.

Personally, your opinion on me getting a puppy is not going to change MY opinion. I know we are ready for this, I am going to put alot of my time into training the puppy. I wouldn't have made the decision if I didn't feel I was ready. What makes everyone else a better dog owner than me? I know plently of people that have small kids with *non kid friendly" dogs. My cousin has an 8 month old daughter and a super hyper American Bulldog. The dog is excellent with his daughter - she was raised with her. Is that not the point? I know that if you properly socialize a dog with other dogs, people, cats etc. They will learn to live with them comfortably. Remember, the puppy is NOT a full blooded ACD like everyone is assuming.

A purebred ACD is 100 times different than one that is crossed with many different breeds, the puppies are more mutt than ACD. I know this from experience, when I voluntereed at the SPCA. There were purebred ACD's and mixes. Totally different dogs in all aspects.

You really cannot judge your puppies behavior completely on the parents - with mixed breed puppies, you can't predict temperament.

Just like you say I can't judge the puppies personality from the parents, you can't judge that this puppy is the wrong choice for me because she has a little bit of heeler in her. While I may not be able to judge what her temperment will be, I certainly know that I can train her properly so she won't have behaviour problems. Yes, that is possible with just knowing the important phases of a puppies behaviour development - The neonatal period, transitional period, socialization period and juvenile period. Knowing the fear imprint period is the most important since anything you do that scares the puppy will scar her for life.

Expect to be spending hours seperately caring for your dog and your baby until your child is older or your dog has been properly trained. It's just a TON of work. Good luck

What do you mean seperately? Why can't my daughter be with me? That is absolutely WRONG. I am fully capable of doing both.

.......

[cloverfdx]

Good luck with the new dog, it will be interesting to see how the dog grows up.

[bckrazy]

I had an ACD and he was about 35 pounds when we gave him away and he was only 6 months old. He was going to be about 65. (he had worms so he was thin, but its all treated now)

awesome.....

[.sarah]

awesome.....

Um, that wasn't really necessary.

[K9soul]

I am sorry if my post came off as condescending or judgmental in any way. I had assumed by your first post since you were asking about how to housetrain and you mentioned you had only had a golden before, and that rotties were for more experienced dog people, that you were not all that experienced with puppies and hadn't had many dogs. I also didn't know the pup was so mixed since you originally said lab/ACD mix. I see you are feeling judged and talked down to, but really your posts now seem a lot different from your original one, and we can only go off of what we read here. I really feel that people are just trying to help and give advice. You seemed to fear people would get upset about your rehoming Thor but I haven't seen anyone say any harsh words to you about that.

Anyway, I think it's great you'll be home with the pup, that helps a lot. I really hope things work out much better this time and I'd love to see pics and try to help answer any future questions you may have. Tasha was my first actual BABY puppy, and as much as I had been around dogs before that, it was quite an experience and there were times I'd have liked to have somewhere to ask advice to (hadn't found Pet Talk yet). Best wishes

[finn's mom]

I am just making a guesstimate. Obviously the father was NOT a purebred lab.

Gotcha. I thought he was a purebred lab.